A Spark to Pierce the Dark
by SinningBySilence
Summary: With Henry safe and the growing Neverland crew basking in a night of rest before continuing on their journey home, a Queen and her long-fated thief finally connect. *Outlaw Queen ONE SHOT*


_**My first ever Outlaw Queen fic. Really not sure how this is gonna turn out, especially since the two haven't actually, you know…met yet. Hopefully you'll all enjoy it. I really just needed to write something for my feels. **_

_**Also, I truly wish I'd had the patience and the time to write the build-up to this. But since I don't, I'm just gonna leave that to the Once writers.**_

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A small, content smile played across Regina's lips as she looked on her son playing with the other little boy amidst the group. He was safe at last-at least from Pan. There had been more than enough hugs and tears and kisses to go around once they had found him.

And Roland.

The four-year-old had been taken by the shadow, and when his father had come after him, he had joined the group effort. Regina looked over to see Robin in deep conversation with Neal and Emma, who were still holding closely one another. From a distance, she could see the strength he possessed. He stood tall, muscular. But it was more than just his physicality. It was his presence. Everything about him seemed to remain firm . . . but also very gentle.

For a moment her breath hitched and she could swear her heart rate was picking up. She barely knew the man, but there was something about him the drew her attention. He had been strangely kind to her when she first found him scavenging the jungle. Of course, that was before he had any clue as to who she was and the things she was capable of doing. But even when he knew that she was the very Queen who had cast the Dark Curse, he hadn't let that change the way he treated her. No one had ever given that chance to her before.

Regina quickly shook her head of those thoughts, however, and turned her attention back to Henry and Roland. It was a sight, Henry telling the little boy all about the world he grew up in-about cars and motorboats and telephones. Roland would gasp, wide-eyed, and ask ten questions at once. The former Queen chuckled a little.

"Those two have certainly taken to one another."

Regina looked up to find Robin standing over her, his expression soft and endearing as he watched the two boys.

She nodded. "They certainly have. Henry has never really had the opportunity to spend much time around younger children, so I'm glad he has the chance to set an example."

"I hope Roland won't get his hopes up too much," the man noted, taking a seat next to her on the large tree stump she sat on. "He'll only be disappointed when I tell him that as soon as we make it to your world, we'll be needing to head back to the Enchanted Forest."

Regina frowned, and for a moment she could swear she felt her stomach drop. "You're going back?"

"We'll have no choice," Robin said with a shrug. "I left my band of men in a right state, and there's no telling if Little John can handle taking over."

"Is that your only reason?" the brunette turned to him.

He looked away, his expression very tired and glum. "Truth be told, it is," he admitted.

She eyed him curiously. "No family to get back to?"

"The Merry Men _are_ my family aside from my son. When my wife died, they swore their loyalty to me-to help me give the poor a way to survive so they could keep their families together where mine fell apart. They gave me and Roland a home when we'd lost hope."

At his admission, Regina couldn't help but hurt for him. It broke her heart to know of the loss he suffered-just as she had lost Daniel and her mother. And her father.

A twinge of guilt hit her at the memory of the latter and her eyes stung with the threat of tears. She took a steady, deep breath to fight it, though, and spoke. "I'm so sorry to hear about that. It must have been incredibly difficult for you."

Robin shook his head. "Don't worry about it. It's been some time now, and there comes a point where you need to move on or spend the rest of your life grieving miserably."

In hearing his words, Regina tentatively sought the bandit's hand with hers, clasping it gently. Unsure whether she had crossed a line, she looked sincerely at him as she replied, "That doesn't make the pain any less real."

Their eyes locked, and for a moment she thought he might pull away. Instead, he gave her hand a gentle squeeze and stroked his thumb softly across her skin. He was leaning so close to her now, the warmth radiating from his body and enveloping her like a blanket. The pair was silent until he spoke again.

"Whatever you've been through, Regina," his voice was soft, "Whatever may have happened to you that you can say that with such certainty. . . I hope one day it stops weighing you down."

He was so close to her then, she had to swallow the lump that formed in her throat and calm her pounding pulse.

"Why?" her voice came out in a shaky whisper.

"Because no one as strong as you with such a beautiful heart should have to endure that."

He had placed a hand on Regina's cheek, and she had to fight tears again. She wanted to correct him, to tell him that her heart was certainly _not_ beautiful—that all she could offer was darkness. If anything, she deserved the pain. He barely knew her, after all. But there was something about him that told her not to argue.

They were silent then, neither certain what the next move was. She could only stare, captivated by how maddeningly blue his eyes were—blue like Daniel's. There was never a day that went by when she was with him that she didn't get lost in them.

But, no. This wasn't Daniel. Robin was someone entirely new—an enigma, really. He was kind and good, but he seemed to know enough of loss and bitter treachery not to make judgments or throw out accusations. He was the first man in many, many years who looked at her and truly _saw _her; the Regina hiding underneath years of murder and misery; the Regina who wanted to pick love over revenge but lost the battle because she was too weak to fight; the Regina who spent over an hour hovering around her son when he was finally safe in her arms, finding any excuse to make him laugh or smile because his happiness filled her with happiness.

"Regina?" his calm voice broke her reverie. Their faces were only inches apart, and his hand was still on her cheek.

Her eyes flicked down, afraid to meet his for fear of letting herself believe there was someone out there who would care enough to stay. But as her gazed traveled to his hand and down to his wrist, she couldn't help the tiny gasp that escaped her.

_A lion tattoo._

And it wasn't just any lion tattoo. It was _the_ lion tattoo. So many years later, and she still recognized it. How could this even be possible, though?

She leaned back slightly to get a better look at it, fighting the urge to run a finger across the ink.

"What is it?" Robin asked, thoroughly confused.

Realizing he had no knowledge of Tinkerbell's pixie dust magic that led her to him all those years prior, she quickly snapped back to reality. This was going to be impossible to explain.

"Your tattoo, uh . . ." she hesitated as she searched her brain for an excuse. _Highly impossible_. "I just—I thought I recognized it. Is it a family crest?"

Robin shook his head and spoke slowly, clearly still not satisfied with her response. "No. I saw the design and I fancied it. Regina, what's the matter?"

"Nothing," she said quickly, her voice breathless as it went up an octave. Her heart was beating at a hundred miles an hour, and everything Tinkerbell had told her the night she was meant to meet this man—that he was her _soulmate_—came flooding back.

Only this time, she wasn't the scared young woman who ran from the tavern.

"Absolutely nothing," she spoke confidently, a genuine smile spreading across her face. "Everything's great—_more_ than great."

Her gaze shifted around to watch the rest of the group. Neal and Emma had fallen asleep, the boys were finally winding down, Hook was off keeping watch, and Rumple had left to find his own space for the night. Even the sight of Snow curled up in David's arms didn't disgust her. Everything was . . . peaceful.

Robin's gaze followed hers, and his brief nod indicated that he understood her meaning. Without further comment, he stood up and held his hand to help her up.

"I'd say it's time to catch some sleep, m'lady."

Regina accepted the gesture and followed suit, letting out a sigh as she replied, "I couldn't agree more."

The two drew closer to the camp area where Robin called to his son. "Time for bed, Roland," he announced as he swiftly picked the four-year-old up. "You're going to need all your strength for tomorrow."

"Awww but can't I stay up and listen to Henry's stories?" the young boy frowned.

"Afraid not, chap. But I'm sure after you get some rest, he'll share plenty more with you."

Robin turned to look at Henry as if to ask for confirmation. The older boy nodded and grinned, "Of course, I will. It was awesome hanging out with you, buddy."

Henry held up his hand, to which Roland looked at perplexedly. Noticing the confusion, the older boy prompted him. "Remember what I showed you earlier?"

Recognition dawned on the younger at his words, and he immediately slapped his open-palmed hand against Henry's.

"High five!" the four-year-old declared.

"High five is exactly right. You got it!"

As Regina watched the exchange, she couldn't help the light laugh that escaped her. After a moment, she placed a hand on her son's shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Well, as happy as I am to see you two getting along, it really is time for _both_ of you," she eyed Henry pointedly, "to get to bed."

The older boy nodded and turned to hug her as Robin took Roland to their own sleeping area. Regina felt her heart swell at the warmth of her son's embrace. She was so happy and relieved to have him safe again.

With a quick kiss on her cheek, he looked up at her and said, "Good night, Mom."

"Night, Henry," she replied with a smile as he turned to find his sleeping bag.

Everything grew quiet again, the only sound being the crackling of the camp fire. It would have to be put out. For a moment, she considered using magic. A simple spell would douse the flame immediately.

Just as she was about to employ said spell, however, Robin had come back to her.

"Need help?" he asked, indicating the fire.

"If you know where we can get water, then yes."

"I believe David left a small basin of it right . . ." he walked closer to the fire, circling it and searching the ground. "Aha! Here."

He picked up the wooden bowl from the tall grass and lifted it to pour it in a circle over the flame. Steam rolled up from the burnt pile wood, replacing the embers as they disappeared. Once it was out, he tossed the bowl back to the ground.

"There," he stated proudly, look at Regina.

She stepped closer to him. "Thank you."

"Not a problem."

Silence fell between them again, although not quite an uncomfortable silence. This silence was one of two people who were reluctant to part but could not find any excuse to stay. They didn't need one, really.

Then, without giving much thought to it, Regina leaned in and pressed her lips to his cheek. It was quite a leap, and the thought she might have crossed a line did frighten her. However, it was too late for her to take back. And, strangely, it felt good.

"Good night, Robin," she said, her voice coy and teetering on shyness.

He smiled at her, titled his head to suggest a bow, and replied, "You as well. Good night."

As the two headed off in separate directions, Regina couldn't help but feel a sense of hope. Did this mean anything? Maybe, maybe not. Could it vanish as soon as they returned home and their mission was accomplished? Possibly. She had learned not to try to predict the future, and she wasn't going to try.

But she did know that . . . whatever this was had intrigued her, and she could only look forward to more of it. Perhaps, for the first time in decades, she could allow herself to be happy.

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_**Thoughts? Comments? Concerns? Don't hesitate to share! :)**_


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